Instrumental Case

Overview and explanation of the instrumental case in the Russian language

In this guide, we'll go over everything that we need to know about the instrumental case in the Russian language. We'll go over how to form an instrumental case and when to use the instrumental case.

How do we form it?

Nouns (существительные)

Instrumental Case

Singular Masculine / Neuter

Singular Feminine

Plural

Nouns

-ом, -ем, -ём

-ой, -ей, ёй

Ь -----> Ю

-ами

-ями

The Instrumental Case for masculine and neuter nouns is formed by simply adding the ending -ом to hard-stem nouns and -ем to soft-stem nouns and nouns affected by the 5 Letter Spelling Rule. If the ending is stressed -ем becomes -ём.

дом -----> домом

словарь -----> словарём

массаж -----> массажем

море -----> морем

The Instrumental Case for feminine nouns is formed by adding the ending -ой to hard-stem nouns and -ей to soft-stem nouns and nouns affected by the 5 Letter Spelling Rule. If the ending is stressed, -ей becomes -ёй. Feminine nouns ending in Ь (soft sign) take ending -ю. The soft sign remains in the stem.

еда -----> едой

кухня -----> кухней

пицца -----> пиццей

семья -----> cемьёй

ночь -----> ночью

дверь -----> дверью

The Instrumental Plural is formed by adding -ами to hard-stem nouns and nouns affected by the 8 Letter Spelling Rule, and -ями to the soft-stem nouns.

фрукты -----> фруктами

плечо -----> плечами

дверь -----> дверями

дети -----> детьми* (я is lost in this word)

Nouns ending in -мя insert suffix -ен :

имя -----> именем

время -----> временем

Personal Pronouns (Личные местоимения)

Personal Pronouns decline as follows:

Singular

Plural

Nominative

Prepositional

Nominative

Prepositional

Я

мной*

мы

нами

ты

тобой

вы

вами

она

ей

они

ими

он

им

оно

им

*мною is optional in literary speech.

If there is a preposition preceding pronoun мной make sure to add a vowel to break the consonant cluster.

со мной

передо мной

подо мной

If there is a preposition preceding third person pronouns (он, она, оно , они), you have to add H.

Soft-stem adjectives (soft-stem nouns are those that end in -НИЙ) modifying masculine nouns and adjectives whose stem ends in a 7 Letter Spelling Rule take a soft variant of the ending -им, feminine nouns and nouns affected by the 5 Letter Spelling Rule take -ей.

искренний -----> искренним

хороший -----> хорошим

вчерашняя -----> вчерашней

горячая -----> горячей

Plural hard-stem adjectives take -ыми, soft-stem and those affected by the 7- Letter Spelling Rule -ими.

обычный -----> обычными

синий -----> синими

свежий -----> свежими

Possessive Pronouns (притяжательные местоимения)

Masculine / Neuter

Feminine

Plural

мой (my)

моим

моей

моими

твой (your)s.

твоим

твоей

твоими

наш (Our)

нашим

нашей

нашими

ваш (your) pl.

вашим

вашей

вашими

Most Possessive Pronouns have soft stems, therefore have soft-stem adjectival endings. ВАШ and НАШ are hard-stems but affected by the 5 Letter Spelling Rule and the 7 Letter spelling Rule in Plural.

Possessive Pronouns ЕГО, ЕЁ, ИХ don’t decline.

Interrogative Pronouns (вопросительные местоимения)

Nominative

Dative

кто?

кем?

что?

чем?

When do we use it?

Instrumental Case tells us the instrument or means by which the action is performed.

Чем ты моешь руки?

What do you wash your hands with?

Я мою руки мылом.

I wash them with soap.

Чем у вас дети пишут в школе?

What do your kids use to write at school?

У нас карандашами. А у вас?

Our kids write with a pencil. And yours?

У нас ручкой.

Ours use a pen.

Notice, that the word in the instrumental case can be translated into English by adding the words 'with' or 'by'. In Russian though no preposition is needed.

Tells us the author of the action.

Не понимаю, этот документ подписан тобой?

I can’t understand, is this document signed by you?

Нет, думаю, Голубевой Анной Юрьевной.

No, I think it is signed by Golubeva Anna Yuryevna.

Кем принимаются такие важные решения?

Who makes such important decisions? (By whom are such important decisions made?)

Конечно, только директором.

Certainly, only by boss.

Tells us the occupation, profession, and what the person is involved in.

Кем он работает?

What does he do?

Вроде электриком, а может сантехником, не помню.

He is something like an electrician, or a plumber. I don’t remember.

Чем занимаешься сегодня вечером?

What are you doing tonight? ( Literally, what are you going to be occupied with?)

Ничем. Но, конечно, надо бы заниматься диссертацией.

Nothing. But I’d better work on my dissertation.

Again, no preposition is needed.

Instrumental Case conveys the idea of "being accompanied" with someone or something. The same principle is applied when saying "met with", "bread with butter", and "tea with sugar". In this case preposition "с" is used.